About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome Jan 30th 2013, 11:56 Second trimester ultrasounds, also known as mid-pregnancy or fetal anomaly screening, have been trying to be used to help detect Down Syndrome for years. There have been a variety of markers of Down Syndrome that can be identified via ultrasound, including: dilated brain ventricles absent or small nose bone increased thickness of the back of the neck an abnormal artery to the upper extremities bright spots in the heart 'bright' bowels mild kidney swelling shortening of an arm bone or thigh bone Dr. Nicolaides and his team found the following findings did increase the risk of having diagnosis of Down Syndrome: "dilated brain ventricles, increased thickness of the back of the neck, and an abnormal artery to the upper extremities increase the risk by three- to four-fold, and an absent or small nose bone increases the risk by six- to seven-fold." "The detection of any one of the findings during the scan should prompt the sonographer to look for all other markers or abnormalities," said Prof. Nicolaides. He added that the study also revealed that if a detailed second trimester ultrasound exam demonstrates the absence of all major markers, the risk of having a baby affected by Down's syndrome is reduced by more than seven-fold. Knowing what weight each of the findings has can help parents decide if they intend to do more invasive testing, which can cause harm to the pregnancy or baby, like breaking the bag of water. Testing for Down Syndrome is not for everyone. Some people only want to know to act on if they should change providers or places of birth or have testing to alert them to other potential problems that may need immediate treatment, like heart conditions. What would you do with this information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source: "Meta-analysis of second-trimester markers for trisomy 2." M. Agathokleous, P. Chaveeva, L.C.Y. Poon, P. Kosinski, and K.H. Nicolaides. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/uog.12364). URL: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/uog.12364 Photo © Burroughs Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at 11:56:14. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: When is the best time for a baby shower?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

When is the best time for a baby shower? Jan 29th 2013, 10:31 Someone on our Google+ page was asking if it's too early to register for baby stuff.  She's barely out of her first trimester. I briefly wondered if I was becoming one of those women who think it's too early for everything, but I did have a moment of "Why so early?"  Someone suggested to me that it was because moms are having not only more baby showers but having them earlier and earlier. Your thoughts?  What's the ideal time for a baby shower? Should you list where you are registered on a baby shower invitation? When is the best time to have a baby shower? Should you have a second baby shower? Who can throw a baby shower? What are good baby shower hostess gifts? Are there things to consider when inviting guests who have known infertility or a recent pregnancy loss? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When is the best time for a baby shower? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 at 10:31:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Don't Forget to Make Your Nominations!

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Don't Forget to Make Your Nominations! Jan 27th 2013, 10:07 The 2013 Readers' Choice Award nomination phase began couple of weeks ago, but there is still time to nominate your favorites in these nine categories! This year the categories are: Pregnancy Blog Pregnancy App Pregnancy Product Labor Product Baby Shower Gift Product for an Expectant Dad Breastfeeding Product Pregnancy Magazine Pregnancy Fitness Product This is a great way to show your appreciation for a brand or product you love. I'm also tweeting out nominations a couple of times a day.  You can follow all the nominations and news at #RCAwards. The nomination phase is open until February 11, 2013. Don't delay. You can read all of the rules of nominations at the page that details everything, including when to come back to vote. You can also find other categories at the About.com Main page for the Readers' Choice Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don't Forget to Make Your Nominations! originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Sunday, January 27th, 2013 at 10:07:03. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Remember how I said to borrow shirts to cover your belly?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Remember how I said to borrow shirts to cover your belly? Jan 25th 2013, 08:47 One piece of advice that I've offered about what to do before you're ready for maternity clothes is to borrow button down shirts from dad. Many moms do this and love the flexibility is gives them as their clothing needs change during the day. (Read that as their belly seems to grow as the day wears on...) So I went to a co-ed baby shower with a dear friend this weekend, she is also pregnant and was wearing her husband's button down shirt. The dad-to-be of this baby shower walked over and commented on the shirt saying that he knew that trick well. We started talking and he jokingly mentioned that sometimes, the shirt he wanted to wear that day was missing. He asked if I could tell all the pregnant women that I talked to, to please avoid taking the shirt that dad was planning to wear and particularly avoid his favorite shirt. This seemed like a reasonable request to me. What about you? Are you a shirt stealer? Are you guilty of stealing the shirt of your man's back to cover your belly? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remember how I said to borrow shirts to cover your belly? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, January 25th, 2013 at 08:47:35. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Michael Bublé and Wife Expecting Their First Baby

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Michael Bublé and Wife Expecting Their First Baby Jan 24th 2013, 14:17 Michael Bublé and wife, Luisana Lopilato pregnancy, announced their pregnancy via a video message today. While the singer's son "Haven't Met You Yet" plays in the background you see their ultrasound and personal photos, announcing, "Mike, Lu...and mini Bublé!!!" The couple wed in 2011 and have been open about wanting a baby. From the looks of the ultrasound it's early days into Lu's pregnancy, but the heart rate looks strong. Photo © Stuart Wilson/Getty Images Michael Bublé and Wife Expecting Their First Baby originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, January 24th, 2013 at 14:17:30. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Do Nurse-Ins Help the Cause of Normalizing Breastfeeding in Public?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Do Nurse-Ins Help the Cause of Normalizing Breastfeeding in Public? Jan 24th 2013, 09:01 The above photo is from the one and only nurse in that I've been involved with in my life. It was about a year ago at Target, after a mom had been asked to leave by a manager. It was a part of a larger group of nurse ins scheduled around the country. Even as I did it, I wondered, "Do nurse ins work?" Apparently, I'm not alone in my questioning, as you can tell by this article from Today's Moms. Deena Blumenfeld, a Lamaze educator from Pennsylvania, offered this, "If somebody believes breast-feeding in public is inappropriate, you're not going to change their mind by breast-feeding in front of them," she said. "By putting it in someone's face, you're making it a confrontational issue and it shouldn't be, because it's normal." While I hadn't thought of it that way, I can tell you that the group of moms that were with me, were all low key.  Most of us nursed at some point during the hour we sat, talked and shared stories of babies and breastfeeding. But I seriously doubt that unless you knew what we were doing specifically because you were there, you had no clue what was really up.  We looked more like a group of women, meeting at the local Starbucks within a Target store to chat.  To me, that's the best way to do it. What's your take? Related: How to Breastfeed Breastfeeding Class Online Do Nurse-Ins Help the Cause of Normalizing Breastfeeding in Public? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, January 24th, 2013 at 09:01:59. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Shakira's Big Baby Isn't So Big Afterall

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Shakira's Big Baby Isn't So Big Afterall Jan 23rd 2013, 08:41 Shakira's baby boy is here! It was announced on the singer's website in multiple languages: "We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 22nd at 9:36pm, in Barcelona, Spain." Earlier in the day a source had said that the baby was going to be born that day in a seeming induction of labor due to the "lateness of the pregnancy" and the "enormous" size of the baby. Milan, which means "dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification," weighed in at 6 pounds 6 ounces. In my book, that's not a large baby by any estimation, in fact, it's smaller than the average size baby. Perhaps this was was sparked by the photo the couple released in the weeks before birth, with her gorgeous belly hanging out, which caused others to call her "huge." So my take away points for you are to remember: It's nearly impossible to get an accurate read on how big the baby really is during pregnancy, even with ultrasound. Even if they think baby is large, it is not a reason to induce labor. Have you ever been told you were having a big baby?  Was your baby as big as they thought? (Some babies are smaller, some are bigger according to these moms.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © PM Images/Getty Images Shakira's Big Baby Isn't So Big Afterall originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013 at 08:41:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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